Disney World's Top 10 Table-Service Restaurants

Number 10: Citricos

••• Courtesy of Walt Disney World News

Hungry for some info about where to eat at Walt Disney World? We'll feed your curiosity and reward you with some great suggestions. This is a rundown of the ten best table service restaurants at theme parks, hotels, and Downtown Disney district. Be sure to read up on Disney World dining reservation info.

Citricos

The inspired Mediterranean-ish fare, including one of the signature dishes, braised veal shank, makes Citrico's a favorite dining spot. Located next to Victoria and Albert's, the atmosphere at the colorful, open-kitchen restaurant is decidedly less...MORE formal. But the attention to the food, presentation, and other details is no less remarkable.

Number 9: Monsieur Paul

••• Walt Disney World News/Preston Mack

Location: France pavilion at EpcotCost: High ($30 to $60 per adult)Attire: Because it is at the theme park, more or less anything goes, but you should consider getting dolled up for the special dining experienceFood: Classic French

Replacing Bistro de Paris, the second-floor restaurant at Epcot maintains more or less the same elegant atmosphere as its predecessor while improving on the food. The snapper with fennel is excellent and, which like many of the dishes at Monsieur Paul, is distinctly flavored without being too heavy (as is the want of some French chefs). The baguettes served with dinner are perhaps the best bread in the entire resort. The desserts are also heavenly.

Robert Niles rates Monsieur Paul above all other restaurants at Disney World and notes, "If you love the earthy umami taste of mushrooms, put [Monsieur Paul] Bocuse's truffle soup on your bucket list."

Tip: Save room for the exquisite after-dinner La Captive pear brandy. And be sure to ask the waitstaff how the...MORE pear-in-a-bottle liqueur is crafted.

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Number 8: Le Cellier Steakhouse

••• Courtesy of Walt Disney World News

Location: Canada Pavilion at EpcotCost: High ($35 to $60 per adult)Attire: Anything goes at this theme park restaurant, but since it is a semi-pricey steakhouse, you may want to consider getting at least a bit dressed upFood: Steakhouse with a Canadian touch

Steaks and chops dominate Le Cellier's menu. But the traditional steakhouse fare gets a Canadian makeover with touches such as a maple barbecue sauce for the filet mignon and a sherry-bacon vinaigrette for the apple arugula salad that accompanies the grilled pork tenderloin. The "cellar" theme conforms to the dark atmosphere typically found at a steakhouse, and the relatively hushed, low-light setting can be a welcome relief from Florida's unforgiving sun and Epcot's often frenzied pace. If the cholesterol-laden beef doesn't sufficiently intimidate you, consider ordering the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup as an appetizer. Epcot is a huge park. Tell yourself you can walk off Le Cellier's rich meal.

Here's what Charlyn Keating says...MORE about Le Cellier: "I have a hard time ordering at this restaurant because everything on the menu is fabulous. I am never disappointed here. Try the Duck Confit Poutine Fries – it is amazing."

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Number 7: 'Ohana

Get ready to eat -- a lot. The food, served family style, keeps coming and coming...and coming. Not unlike a Brazilian steakhouse, 'Ohana prepares its sirloin steak, pork loin, chicken, and shrimp on large skewers and delivers as much of the grilled delicacies to your table as you're willing and able to consume. The long, communal tables and the never-ending parade of skewered meat create a fun, jovial atmosphere.

Not everyone agrees that the food is top-ten worthy, but this place still deserves a prominent place on the list and belongs among the Disney World restaurants you would want to bring your gang. If you do go, don't forget to bring your appetite.

Number 6: Jiko - The Cooking Place

Probably the most exotic (and surely among the most expensive) fare to be found on the Walt Disney World resort is at Jiko – The Cooking Place. Africa is an enormous continent, and the menu reflects lots of variety.

Depending on the season, choices might include seared maize pudding with chakalaka (a spicy South African relish), Swahili curry shrimp with coconut rice, or seared ostrich fillet with spiced chickpeas. This is about as far removed from a theme park cheeseburger as you can get. And it's all delicious.

Be sure to peruse Jiko's overwhelming selection of South African wines. Also consider the specialty teas menu, which features African blends and provides a great after-dinner interlude before exploring the animals grazing on the Animal Kingdom Lodge's savannah.

Number 5: The Hollywood Brown Derby

••• Walt Disney World News/Scott Miller

Location: Hollywood Boulevard at Disney's Hollywood StudiosCost: High ($30 to $60 per adult)Attire: Anything goes at this theme park restaurant, but it is a fine dining experienceFood: Traditional American with a nod to old Hollywood

A re-imagining of the original Brown Derby, the food costars with the vintage Hollywood ambiance at the Studio's most upscale eatery. Bob Cobb (the real Brown Derby's restaurateur and namesake for the famous Cobb salad that graces the menu) never served some of the modern-day creative entrees found at the Disney version of his eatery.

What would the movie stars, who were there to be seen, make of dishes such as rare hijiki crusted ahi tuna with mizuna and palm sugar cucumbers or spice-rubbed black grouper with sauteed haricots verts and sunchokes? Less adventurous diners will find more traditional meat and poultry dishes. For dessert, consider another Brown Derby signature dish: grapefruit cake with grapefruit cream cheese icing.

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Number 4: Be Our Guest Restaurant

••• Tammy Young Heck/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Location: New Fantasyland in the Magic KingdomCost: High ($30 to $60 per adult)Attire: Anything goes at this theme park restaurant, but you may want to consider wearing fineries fit for a royal ballFood: French-inspired fare

It's important to note that the table-service dinner at Be Our Guest is quite different from the restaurant's casual-service lunch, although the midday meals are noteworthy in their own right.

The dishes, including Chicken Breast Provençal and Layered Ratatouille on Quinoa, are scrumptious, but the real allure of the restaurant is its stunning atmosphere. This is a theme park restaurant with a striking and well-crafted theme. Patrons are transported to the Grand Ballroom from the film, Beauty and the Beast, where it is perpetually nighttime, and "snow" is always falling amid the moonlit mountains outside the floor-to-ceiling picture windows.

You can order The "Grey Stuff" (which is among the whimsical lyrics in the movie's song, "Be Our Guest") for...MORE dessert. You can also order beer or wine, a first for the Magic Kingdom.

Number 3: Victoria and Albert's

••• stephen velasco/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0

Location: Disney's Grand Floridian ResortCost: Very High (Over $60 per adult)Attire: Men must wear dinner jackets with dress pants or slacks and shoes. Ties are optional. Women may wear a cocktail dress, nice dress, dressy pant suit or a skirt with a blouseFood: Continental cuisine

How exclusive is Victoria and Albert's? Children under ten are not permitted in the dining room. Need I remind you that this unusual restriction is being imposed at, of all places, Disney World? There's a reason why the special-occasion restaurant racks up award after award and generates positive reviews. The food is remarkable, the décor is swanky (abetted by a harpist for an extra-special touch), and the service is impeccable.

Dishes on the constantly changing menu might include exotic fare, such as Octopus "a La Plancha" with black garlic aioli or Colorado bison with caraway seed vinaigrette. For an even more exclusive experience, guests can book an intimate dinner at the Chef's Table and take a...MORE culinary journey through as many as 13 courses with the restaurant's chef de cuisine.

Of course, the extraordinary restaurant comes with extraordinary high prices. However, it is worth it to splurge on Victoria and Albert's. Scott Joseph says that it is "not just the top restaurant at Disney World but one of the top restaurants in the Southeast. A true fine dining experience."

Number 2: Flying Fish Cafe

Location: Disney's BoardWalk, located behind World Showcase at EpcotCost: High ($30 to $60 per adult) Attire: Resort casual Food: Seafood with an adventurous flair

The dishes at the Flying Fish Cafe tend to focus on native Florida seafood, such as red snapper, and seasonal, local produce. Instead of old-school, cracker-crumb-crusted fish, the creative entrees, which are prepared in the restaurant's open kitchen, might include accompaniments such as heirloom radish, leek fondue, and roasted fennel.

The wine menu is especially extensive and can be paired with the eatery's menu of artisanal cheeses as well as with the main dishes. Deb Wills, who ranks the restaurant as her favorite at Disney World, says that despite its name and culinary focus, "You don't have to love seafood to love Flying Fish! I don't care for seafood and am very satisfied with its other choices. The Mozzarella di Bufala a la Caprese is the best on property!"

Number 1: California Grill

It's somewhat ironic, yet fitting, that California Grill gets the top nods as the best restaurant at Walt Disney World: ironic, in the sense that it's a restaurant in Florida that celebrates California cuisine; fitting in that Walt Disney World takes its inspiration from California's Disneyland.

Consider starting your meal with mouth-watering flatbreads. Baked in a brick oven, they feature toppings such as mozzarella di bufala and pork pate. Sushi is also available as an appetizer. Entrees range from Georges Bank scallops with potato gnocchi and smoked pork to oak-fired filet of beef. The wine list features California varieties.

Located atop Disney's Contemporary Resort, the California Grill offers spectacular views. Plan your meal so that you can enjoy after-dinner drinks on the restaurant's outside balcony and watch the Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks display. The...MORE synchronized soundtrack is piped into the balcony's speakers.